Violet spots the venin who killed Soleil clinging to Tairn’s back and engages her atop the dragon. Despite Tairn’s warnings, Violet unstraps, breaks an arm blocking a strike, and is stabbed in the side with a poisoned dagger as the venin taunts her power and mentions a Sage.

Xaden floods the sky with shadows, giving Violet control of the darkness. Violet flashes light, disorients the venin, and drives a runed dagger between the woman’s ribs, killing her. As Violet reels from the burning wound, three riderless wyvern drop, revealing that when a venin dies, the wyvern they created die too. She and Tairn decide to target riders.

Racing back toward the valley, they glimpse a staff-wielding venin leader who vanishes after Sgaeyl’s fire and Garrick’s thrown dagger—Tairn recognizes him as their general, the Sage. Xaden nears burnout holding a shadow wall against the horde, and at Violet’s insistence he drops it so they can strike the riders.

Tairn identifies a powerful seated venin. Violet struggles to aim lightning and risks overload as wyvern close in. Andarna arrives; at Violet’s request, Andarna freezes time. Hovering, Violet drags a branch of lightning into precise position and kills the rider, and more than half the wyvern fall from the sky. The poison in Violet’s side flares painfully.

The remaining rider charges, but Xaden snares him with shadows and kills him with a dagger. With the immediate threat broken, Violet’s strength fails and she slips from Tairn’s back, plummeting as Xaden screams her name.